To an extent, as long as gamers are satisfied with the track selection on the Guitar Hero brand of games, they are probably more than happy to carry on buying the continuous stream of new instalments that keep the franchise alive. If you don't mind the routine of either releasing 'compilation' packs, or the band-specific offerings, you'll probably have no problem with the direction that the franchise has taken. If, however, you want something a little different, you're in luck.

Activision has announced that it is returning to the Guitar Hero series with the latest instalment, entitled Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. With Vicarious Visions behind the wheel of the Wii version, the game will take a slightly different approach than before as players will now have a story-driven Quest Mode to tuck into.

In Quest Mode, using any combination of instruments, players will embark on a larger-than-life, epic rock journey from the stage of CBGBs, the infamous punk-rock club in New York City, to the molten lava fields of rock treachery as eight Guitar Hero characters transform into rock warriors that must join together to use their unique, game-changing powers to help the Demi-God of Rock take down “The Beast” and save rock n’ roll.

There's also Quickplay+ which allows players to test themselves with a selection of challenges that utilise the on-disc tracks, as well as the Guitar Hero Music Library that contains over 500 tracks. Gamers are faced with 13 unique gameplay challenges, such as Power Challenge, Band Streak and High Score. Power Challenge, for example, will task players with choosing two warrior powers they have unlocked in order to earn highscores to put on the all-new Challenge Leaderboards. The better the score, the more you'll rank up in conjunction with rewards and content being unlocked.

It's not just the game itself that's changed though, because the guitar controller has also been re-designed but exactly what new features these controllers will have has not been disclosed yet. All we know is that the fretboard has been optimised in some way. Party Play makes a return which lets gamers jump in and jump out of gameplay, making multiplay quick and easy. Gamers can use any combination of guitars, bass, drums, and vocals, with Competitive Modes included should you find yourself after something a bit different.

Dave Mustaine from Megadeth has recorded a track written exclusively for the game called "Sudden Death" and inspiration was taken from the Quest Mode's narrative. Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock will feature over 90 tracks and the initial 35 have been announced as follows:

AFI – “Dancing Through Sunday”

Anthrax – “Indians”

Avenged Sevenfold – “Bat Country”

Black Sabbath – “Children Of The Grave”

Buzzcocks – “What Do I Get?”

Children Of Bodom – “If You Want Peace... Prepare For War”

The Cure – “Fascination Street”

Def Leppard – “Pour Some Sugar On Me (Live)”

Dethklok – “Bloodlines”

Dire Straits – “Money For Nothing”

DragonForce – “Fury of the Storm”

Drowning Pool – “Bodies”

Fall Out Boy – “Dance, Dance”

Foo Fighters – “No Way Back”

Foreigner – “Feels Like The First Time”

The Hives – “Tick Tick Boom”

Jane’s Addiction – “Been Caught Stealing”

Jethro Tull – “Aqualung”

KISS – “Love Gun”

Linkin Park – “Bleed It Out”

Megadeth – “Sudden Death”

Metallica & Ozzy Osbourne – “Paranoid (Live)”

Muse – “Uprising”

My Chemical Romance – “I'm Not Okay (I Promise)”

Night Ranger – “ (You Can Still) Rock In America”

Nine Inch Nails – “Wish”

The Offspring – “Self Esteem”

Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Rammstein – “Waidmanns Heil”

The Rolling Stones – “Stray Cat Blues”

Silversun Pickups – “There’s No Secrets This Year”

Slayer – “Chemical Warfare”

Slipknot – “Psychosocial”

Stone Temple Pilots – “Interstate Love Song”

ZZ Top – “Sharp Dressed Man (Live)”

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is currently scheduled for release this Autumn. Time to get those musical calluses back.